Smok Barbecue - RiNo, Denver

"First time eating here and we really enjoyed it. The staff was great and the food came out quickly. The only reason I gave the food four stars was because it was pretty pepper heavy. Even the mac and cheese had a heavy dose of pepper on it. So if you aren't a pepper person or pepper sensitive, then this might not be the place for you."

"Wow! This place is absolutely amazing. The food is great! The burnt ends are absolutely perfect. The banana pudding is heaven. Their sides are well balanced and delicious (had the Okra—-great job on this, pit beans, Mac and cheese, and coleslaw). The bartender did a great job on drinks, it was easy to find seating, food was out in a timely manner, folks are real hospitable. 10/10 must try! Will be back."

"When we walked in, we saw one of the cooks slicing a brisket he had just pulled out of the oven - my oh my. It looked amazing! That being my intro to Smok, I wanted to taste everything on the menu. After several minutes of deliberation, I finally settled on the Brisket Sandwich and the Brisket Queso w/ tortilla chips. My husband got the Chili Cheese Fries. The Brisket was good - not as tender as I thought it would be. But, in their defense, I am from Charleston, SC, and BBQ is in my veins. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my sandwich! The housemade pickles were crisp and added incredible crunch and flavor to the sammie. As for the Brisket Queso, I devoured it. I would have literally drank it if I weren't in public. After my chips were gone, I started dipping my french fries in it - um, YES! The queso wasn't just loaded with Brisket, but also with jalapenos and hatch chilis - so, so good! I wish they had a Carolina Sweet BBQ sauce, not just the mustard and vinegar based-sauce, but the Smok BBQ sauce was pretty good. I missed the sweet of the sugar and onions in a sweeter sauce, but it didn't take away from the deliciousness of the plate. My husband really liked his Chili Cheese Fries (although he also ate some of my sandwich, as usual). We would definitely eat here again. In fact, I've got my eyes on that Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread, so we'll be back soon!"

"We did take-out so admittedly not the full experience. But, the mac and cheese was perfectly cheesy, the burnt ends were amazing, and the potato salad stole the show for me. Can't wait to actually go there to give them the 5th star. NEXT VISIT (actually THERE this time): Earned the fifth star and then some. Think coupons and gift cards don't work? They do. Keep it up, marketing departments. LOVED it. Happy hour time. Our three bartenders were Natasha, Bill, and Connor. Very much a team effort, and we noticed the cohesiveness and training. All were good in personality, humor, and efficiency. This place is located in The Source hotel. Tons of stuff nearby too, so worth the trip regardless. Looked like a nice hotel. Not sure how the people staying there get away from this awesome BBQ though. GREAT happy hour that makes all sorts of people happy. I had $1 off IPA's, and they had a decent rotating selection. Wife had the $6 Old Fashioned, and even had one "usual" one mistakenly made for her and she loved them all. We are bar seat people, but the tables looked nice too. We had the smoked jerk wings from the HH menu and they were AWESOME. The blue cheese was some of the best I have had, and I literally had to scoop it onto my wing. Ask for all the hot sauces. You get the house, the Carolina, the Bama, and the hot sauce (green). Their house is a little sweet to me, but the whole system works if you have effort in combining. ALL mac and cheese is good, and this place is on point with that, but it is your selection of sauces that make or break the mac. I tried all combinations for mac and cheese and settled on the green hot sauce and white Bama BBQ. You do you. We got a quarter of the brisket and burnt ends. I am a burnt ends guy, but would say they were a little big, and the brisket was slightly better (although both were off the hook). I did the house sauce and Carolina mustard on the brisket and it worked well. We said no on the chipotle cheese fries and okra, but you should try them. You can only eat so much at one time, folks. Tunes were classic rock, energetic in volume but not irritating, and Led Zep fans would have had a blast on my night (I am one of those too). Open concept overall, and all employees seemed happy and engaged. Definitely recommend and see you there."

"This place is located in the Source Hotel. You'll probably need to park in the parking garage, but it's free for a one hour stay. The whole place has a funky cool industrial vibe. There are several other restaurants and shops in the complex. I had the best chili cheese fries of my fifty seven years of life. The brisket is top notch. Macaroni and cheese is outstanding. Creamed corn ok. Cole slaw yum. There's only one choice of bbq sauce. It's good, but a couple of other choices would be ideal. Generous portions. Seating is benches, and I hates benches. Overall a really fine dining experience. Staff was super pleasant and helpful."